A city defined by its hyperbolic state, it’s always all or nothing in Italy’s capital.

Players are either the best or the worst, and situations are either heavenly or torturous.

Superlatives govern speech and ashamedly, the attitudes. The Giallorossi are always expected to score more, win more, work harder and even lose in a more beautiful manner.

Perennial losers, victims of their own expectations, no one expected much from Roma. Until now.

Six wins out of six has turned heads. The side that devoted itself to the art of attacking play and a hideous defence always entertained the crowd but never walked away with the trophies. Not in recent years. Not with Luis Enrique and Zdenek Zeman.

And then they found Rudi Garcia. A man they felt combined winning results with entertaining play. Personifying tranquillity, the coach’s cool exterior has transmitted calm, lifted pressure and encouraged motivation.

Organising the chaos, Garcia has extracted the beauty in Roma’s manic state and transformed it into grit - a quality that he has combined with maturity and intelligent play to create a successful formula.

Deployed in a 4-3-3 formation, tactically this is a side dedicated to offensive football but one that is intelligent enough to realise the value of a solid defence.

Ask about Roma and they will tell you it’s the home of football porn.

They are the beautiful losers who will thrill with their ability to construct and finish off goal-scoring opportunities but they rarely win, so adept are they at conceding more goals than they can score.

Yet the beauty of Garcia’s side is their defensive strength. You can applaud the likes of Mehdi Benatia and Leandro Castan but their strength lies in the side’s collective play. The team works as a unit to stop the opposition from penetrating their defence whilst the moment possession is lost, the squad press the regain control of the ball and launch their swift attacks. They have only conceded one goal this season. One crumby goal.

The best defence in Serie A means they can finally enjoy the fact they also boast the best attack. 17 goals scored, 9 different goalscorers and in a variety of ways. They have scored four from counter-attacks, six from open play, four from set pieces, two from penalties and one even came by way of an own goal. Unpredictable to the death.

Equilibrium is the priority. Freedom in attack is encouraged as long as it is supported by an organised defence. Each player plays in their preferred role, as long as they demonstrate their willingness to interchange positions whilst the experienced players are allowed to help govern the side as long as they aware they are all equals. At Roma, Garcia knows that balance both on and off the pitch is the key to success.

Yet not even the most beautiful of tactics succeed when not supported by mental fortitude. In an industry and a country that has long turned its back on the notion of patience, squads are either defined as winners or failures. Negative attitudes are quickly adopted and difficult to expel. It is good to always demand more of your players as long as it does not rob them of their confidence.

Psychologist: Garcia works on a different plane (Image: Alex Grimm)

Bordeaux President, Jean Louis Triaud called Garcia’s ability to focus on the positives as courageous. Rather than having a go at his men for what went wrong, he applauds them for what they did right. “What I do on a psychological level is inherent in my work as a coach,” explained Garcia in a pre-match conference.

When he arrived at Roma, he found a depressed environment. In recent years results have been shocking, performances have been sub-par and too much money has been wasted. Within his side he boasted a superb team of individuals yet they dwelled in a state of perpetual negativity.

“Rudi I knew as a kid. His parents lived in the same building as my uncle,” recalled Jean-Claude Borga in an interview with Le Parisien in 2011. “His success is due to his faith in people. He spoke to the players one by one when he felt there was a problem.” Describing him as a perfectionist and a psychologist, Borga, who was close to Rudi’s father, is hardly surprised by the coach’s success.

Each training session, Garcia finds time to speak to his players, as a group and individually. Communication is key both in training and during the game. Even the half-time interval chats with his assistant coach Frederic Bompard, the man who watches the team’s patterns of play from up above, have been stated as the reason for Roma’s success. Roman goals usually arrive in the second half, the press explained, because the duo’s discussions would lead to better play in the latter half of the game.

Bompard is, they argue, Garcia’s secret weapon.

Whatever the secret, the Giallorossi now sit at the helm of Serie A, enjoying their achievements. They might’ve finally cracked the code for success but let’s avoid any hyperboles for now.